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There Was Something Different About that Touch

She headed towards her CEO's cabin in a bid to show him some NFAs and take approvals before he leaves the office. It was Friday noon and she needed to complete some paperwork and hand it over to the respective teams before they get bitten by the weekend mode. She went twice to check if her boss is around but came in vain. Her phone was ringing continuously and the business heads wanted to enquire about the approval status. She peeped inside his cabin but it was still empty. As she turned back, she almost collided into her boss, unknowingly, who hurried towards his cabin. It was not deliberate yet she felt guilty and apologized. He smiled and asked her is she needs anything. She told him about the papers where she needed to accord his approval/signature. She quickly explained about the one and as she was handing it to him for his signature, he pulled himself a step forward and grabbed the papers from her palms.

There was something about his touch that made Mira very uncomfortable. She initially dismissed it as her imagination being over judgemental. She moved back without any reaction, got the papers signed and moved out of the place.

There was something different about that touch which made Mira uncomfortable.

Geeta Datta, 32, Divorcee

Yes, there is indeed more to Geeta than her divorce but given her post-separation trauma, she couldn't get over it and unfortunately, it was dominating her life even after months of the verdict. It wasn't that she was not trying but no matter how much she tried, there would be instances and people that would remind her of it. There would be people including her colleagues who would often talk to her and in a bid to console her, left her even more acerbic with their unwanted advances. From her landlord to the grocer to neighbours, everyone looked at her with a different perspective, with neither being empathetic but something else. She felt like being stalked by vultures who are ready to tear her apart at next probable opportunity. They thought her separation affected her personal life only in terms of an absent sex life. She was appalled by their thinking and grew even more melancholic.

When she met Rajesh with regard to a probable business alliance, little did she knew that he will become a good friend. He understood her, made her laugh and helped her even find a new accommodation in town. As a goodwill gesture, she invited him one afternoon for lunch at her new place. Before leaving, he took her hand in his and thanked her profusely for the good food and hospitality.

Except for a momentary awkwardness, Geeta didn't felt any discomfort. There was something different about his touch that did not send her any sexual vibes but rather comforted her.

Touch is a wonderful sense that is imbibed in the world, from humans to animals to plants. While dictionary signifies it as mere an act of putting a hand or finger, on in contact with someone, there is more to a touch. It has a healing, soothing and comforting property. It also has an ugly face to it. Probably the sensory like any other sense helps one to differentiate one experience from other.

Geeta and Mira were two individuals, two different women under two different circumstances. They both were subjected to two different type of contact. I call them "unspoken but well heard" contacts. While it is very easy to sit from a distance and judge them basis the circumstances but only the person who had come in contact has the ability to feel it. In this case, Mira and Geeta became the victims of some pre-conceived, prevalent notions that took them around different, and more bitter experiences of life. It is not that society is harsh towards only women. Well, harshness is such a quality that does not differentiate human from another human, old or young, girl or boy, child or adult, black or white. It is the insensitivity of the human nature that creates such discord.

While every touch is different and you have to decide what comforts you and what makes you uncomfortable. When something comforts, do appreciate it. When it makes you uncomfortable, do stand up and take a stand.